William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft (15 September 1857-8 March 1930) was President of the United States from 4 March 1909 to 4 March 1913, succeeding Theodore Roosevelt and preceding Woodrow Wilson, and Chief Justice of the United States from 11 July 1921 to 3 February 1930, succeeding Edward Douglass White and preceding Charles Evans Hughes. Taft was known as a member of the conservative wing of the US Republican Party, and he betrayed his mentor Theodore Roosevelt's progressive ideology.

Biography
William Howard Taft was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on 15 September 1857, the son of US Secretary of War and Attorney-General Alphonso Taft. Taft attended Yale and graduated to become a lawyer; he was a judge before he even left his twenties. He became a judge on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and President William McKinley appointed him Governor of the Philippines in 1901. He governed the islands for two years, and he famously said that it was America's duty to bring civilization to its "little brown brothers". In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Taft as his Secretary of War, and he repeatedly declined offers to join the Supreme Court due to his importance in Roosevelt's cabinet. In 1908, Roosevelt helped him in winning the presidency as the US Republican Party candidate, easily defeating William Jennings Bryan and the US Democratic Party. Taft repeatedly intervened in Central American affairs during his presidency, increasing the United States' role overseas. However, he lost support as he became more conservative and supported the repeal of tariffs, and he became rivals with his mentor, the progressive Roosevelt. In 1912, Roosevelt ran against Taft with the Bull Moose Party, dividing the Republican vote; this led to Woodrow Wilson and the Democrats winning the election. After the election, he returned to Yale to become a professor, and President Warren G. Harding decided to appoint him Chief Justice in 1921. He served in this post until February 1930, and he died the next month. He was the first president and first Supreme Court justice to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.